Tom Clancy's HAWX First Look

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Gameloft's top gun?

By Levi Buchanan

Tom Clancy's HAWX was a modest success for Ubisoft, moving the techno-military franchise into a new genre and taking on the likes of Ace Combat for supremacy of the skies. Gameloft is drawing on much of that game – from the real-world jets to many of the missions – for its upcoming iPhone flyboy.

HAWX is linked directly into the Tom Clancy timeline. Set in 2014, HAWX picks up right after Ghost Recon 2. You are private military contractor David Crenshaw, working with the military to provide aerial support for a team of Ghosts on the ground. Across thirteen missions, you must dogfight enemy fighters, infiltrate hostile territory, and go on bombing runs. The variety of missions is one of HAWX's strong points, as much of its competition is solely dedicated to dogfighting. Of the missions I played at Gameloft's demo event, the infiltration mission was one of the most engaging. Slipping through enemy airspace by sticking in a radar blind corridor is a fun test of reflexes. If you dart outside the corridor for too long, you can expect a missile up the ol' afterburner.

HAWX has 25 different planes, many pulled from real jets that are currently in use in air forces around the world. Each jet has a unique cockpit view. The planes handle differently. The stealth fighter is not the same as the F-14. The bomber is slower than most planes, but in missions with ground targets that must be hammered, there is no choice but to roll with it and compensate for the lack of speed with ace flying and constant awareness of surrounding dangers. However, you can always replay any mission later on with the different planes you have unlocked as a challenge.

HAWX pulls its maps from the same source as Google Earth.

As Crenshaw, you will fly over familiar territory. Missions are set in cities like Rio, Chicago, and over Cape Canaveral. The cities are constructed from the same source material used to build Google Earth for maximum realism – although there is definitely a downgrade in detail compared to the console versions. The Chicago skyline, though, looks quite close to the real thing. Gameloft is including some 3GS-only flourishes for HAWX such as filters. But all versions of HAWX feature cool effects like the Prandtl-Glauert singularity (the vapor cone) when you break the sound barrier.

On the iPhone, HAWX flies into hostile territory. Not only is Namco putting the final touches on Ace Combat Xi for the iPhone, but F.A.S.T. is still a popular game with a good-sized audience. HAWX will try to compete with its own multiplayer, including deathmatch and team deathmatch for up to four players over Wi-Fi and two over Bluetooth. Look for a full review of HAWX next month when it soars into the App Store.